James weir graydon



2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

J. W. GRAYDON.

REVOLVING PNBUMATIQ GUN.

Vn l v un M Z v o .rv m M 7 V B w V n n M un. r. w ly k Ill nl? vw I IlQ y.: :y T, l l* 75l/514745K l. lllllllllll V .1.. L

62mm/Lamas,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- JAMES 'EIR GRAYDON, OF IVASIIINGTON,DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR 4TO ROBERT SOUTIIIVORTII I.A\\"RNCE, OFLONDON, ENGLAND.

REVOLVING PNEUMATIC` GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,882, dated March19, 188.9. Application filed November 8, 1888. Serial No. 290,289. (Nomodel.)

lumbia, have invented certain new and useful'Improvements in RevolvingAir-Guns, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a revolving air-gun for throwing dynamite orother high-explosive projectiles; and its object has been the productionof a gun in which, by the simple turning of a crank, the projectiles maybe automatically placed in the barrels, the barrels-revolved, and theprojectiles discharged under a predetermined regulated degree ofair-pressure.

The invention will lirst be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and then clearly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a longitudinal section of the gun, taken onthe line :1: Fig. 3, the reservoir and the air-pressure regulator beingshown in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the gun,taken on the line y y, Fig. 3, and a diagram of the reservoir andair-pressure regulator. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the gun, takenon the line .Z s, Fig. l, showing the loading, revolving, and

- discharging mechanisms. Fig. is ahorizontal section of theair-pressure regulator. Fig.

5 is a sectional detail showing the two-way cock in the pipe connectingthe reservoir and regulator.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the breech-piece, provided atits rear end with a door, a.

B is the frame of the gun.

C C are the assembling-disks.

D is the main shaft, which passes through the disks, and is rigidlysecured thereto, it being loosely j ournaled at its front end in theframe and at its rear end in the breech-block.

E represents the barrels, preferably five in number, which are mountedin and carried by the assembling-disks, the rear ends of the barrelsbeing screwed into the disk C.

The mechanism for revolving the barrels is as follows: F represents thepin-wheel, consisting of a short cylinder having a series of pins orprojections, 1 2 3 -l 5, (corresponding in number with the number ofbarrels,) on one end. This is rigidly secured on the rear end of themain shaft D, with the pins'to the 5 5 rear.

G represents a worm-wheel located in th breech-piece in rear of thepin-wheel, and mounted on a shaft, H, journaled in one side of thebreech-piece land also in a standard, I, 6o inside the breech-piece. Theworm on the wheel G is of the same width for about threefourths thecircumference of the wheel, and then Vgradually narrows down and flaresoutward to the sides, leaving a groove, 6, as seen in Fig. 3, and theworm-wheel is so positioned with relation to the pin-wheel that only thelower pin will engage with the groove. The worm-wheel is revolved bymeans of a crankhandle, h, on shaft H.

The loading mechanism` will next be described. j y

In the vupper portion of the breech-piece there is formed a channel yorguideway, b', part of which is open, as at b2, and above this 75 openpart of the channel is located a magazin e, J, for containing theprojectiles j, as seen in Figs. 2 and Il.` In this channel, directly infront of the open part, is located a loadingpiston, K, for pushing theprojectiles into the 8o barrels, the piston being provided on one sidewith astud, k. which passes through a Slot, s, in one of the side wallsof the guideway b, as seen in Fig. 3. A gear-wheehil', on the inner sideof shaft II,'n1eshes with another gear- 85 wheel, u", on a short shaft,S, journaled in standard I and in the side of the breech-piece, and on`this shaft is secured a cam, S', which Works within a link, L, which ispivoted at its lower endt to the bottoni ot' the breech- 9o piece. Thislink is provided with an arm, 1 Whose upper end passes loosely throughan opening in stud k, as seen in Fig;

A description of the pneumatic mechanism is now in order.

M represents the air-reservoir, which is a steel cylinder mounted in anysuitable framework (not shown) connected with the gun proper, and M is apipe leading fromv any suitable air-pump (not shown) to the reserlooVoir. I have illustrated but one reservoir, although more maybeemployed, if desirable,

rod, P2, connected thereto and to the shaft H,

for admitting air from the reservoir to the air-chamber, and also forshutting off the air from the reservoir and permitting the escape of somuch of it, through a dischrgeopen ing, o, in the pipe, as will besuliicicnt to allow spring W to again open the valve, as `will be morefully explainedhereinafter.

y V represents the valve-chest, located in one corner of casing N, thesaid chest being square and provided centrally with bearings v for thevalve-shaft.

V indicates the valve, which consists simply of a plain metal plateneatly fitting the interior of chest V and carried by a shaft, V2,journaled in the bearings 'v in the chest. The plate forming the valvepasses through a'slot in the shaft, and is held in place therein bymeans of screws .7. When open, as in Fig. 44, the Valve lies horizontal,and its underside rests on lugs 8, cast inside the valve-chest at oneend, while' its upper side rests against othder lugs, 9, cast in thechest Vat the other en A pipe, R, screwed through the frontv Wall, nearthe rear end of box O and through the adjacent wall of the valve-chest,'slightly above the valve, when in lit-s open position, connects theair-chamber\0 and the valvechest, and another pipe, R', leads from saidchest forward to the inner side of the airreservoir, and thence outthrough the top of the reservoir, its outer end being screwed into theunder side of the breech-piece of the gun in line with an air-duct, R2,leading to the front face of the breech-piece, with which duct the boreof fthe. lower barrel of the gun registers. There is an elastic packing,10, set in thefront face of the breech-piece and surroundingthe'outer'end of duct R2, for the purpose of forming a tight jointbetween the barrel and breech-piece, as seen in Fig. 1.

T represents a cylinder, the open front end of which is screwed into thefront wall of the air-chamber O flush with the inner side thereof. Inthis cylinder is located a piston,

T, secured to one end of a piston-rod, T2, whose other end is pivotallyconnected att to an arm, V3, journaled on a crank-arm, V4, secured onyalve-shaft V2.

U is abeveled gear-wheel secured on'.a hollow arbor, U', located in theend Wall of cylinder T. That portion ofthe arbor Within said wall isscrew-threaded 'exteriorly to' engage with an intcriorly screw-threadedthimble, U2, rigidly' secured to a perforated disk,

in, within cylinder T, and 'a coiled sp1-ing, w,

encireles the piston-rod 'l2 between this disk and the piston thepiston-rod passing through the disk, the arbor, and the .gear-wheel U.

An annulargroove,u, is cut in the arbor, into which depends a flange, f,from the `end wall of cylinder T, to prevent longitudinal movement ofthe arbor. gears with another bevel-wheel, U4, mounted `on a shortshaft, U5, journaled in one of the sidewalls 0f the regulator-casing N,which shaft bears on its outer end a crank-handle, X, and on the out-erside of casing N, just outside the arc described by the crank-handle,there is a segmental scale of figures to indicate the different degreesof pressure to which the regulator may be set.

It is tobe understood that the above-described air-pressure regulator isnot claimed The said bevel-wheel U- specifically herein, but only incombination f I with other elements embodied in the revolving g'un, saidregulator itself forming the subj ect-matter of another application forLetters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 287,627, filed by me onthe 9th day` of October, 1888.

Y The operation of my revolving air-gun is as follows: The magazinebeing filled with shells and one of the barrels loaded, as seen in Fig.2, then on turning the shaftHone of the pins on the pin-wheel F willengage the groove 6 in the worm on wheel G and be moved to the oppositeside of the worm, thus turning the barrels one space. As the worm isstraight IOO IIO

earryrhe loading-piston and the projectile in f the guideway forward farenough to place the',

latter within the barrel, the loading-piston being drawn back to itsformer position on further revolution of the cam, when anotherprojectile will drop by gravity intothe guideway, and so on. In therevolution of the shaft H the eccentric-'rod l?2 is caused to operatethe two-way cock P to admit air from the airreservoir to the gun atproper intervals. Now

we will suppose that it is desired to discharge the projectile under anair-pressure of five hundred pounds to the square inch, whichin theillustration isthe minimum pressure denoted on the scale, and that thespring W is of such tension as to be compressed'just at that pressure.the spring will hold the valve. open, as seen in Fig.-4-, until theair-pressure against the projectile in the gun shall have reached iivehundred pounds, when that pressure will force the piston Tbackwardagainst the ten-' Then it will be evident that sion of thespring, which action, through the instrumentality of the piston-rod T2,arm V3,

course the projectile will commence moving before the pressure runs upto tive hundred pounds, but the increase of pressure will be so rapidthat the maximum will be reached almost instantly. As soon as the gun isdischarged ,and the valve closed, the two-way cock P is turned to theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, which cuts oif communicationbetween the reservoir and the valve and at the same time permits theescape from t-he air-chamber C through the dischargeopening o of asuflicient quantity of air to allow the spring I/V to again open thevalve. As the valve when closed presents the same superficial area oneach side of its shaft, the air-pressure against it must necessarily bethe same below the shaft as above it, and consequently the valve will bebalanced. Again, we will suppose that the air is to be admitted to thegun at a greater pressure than that above stated-say two thousand` fivehundred pounds to the-square inch. In this case I turn handle X arounduntil it registers with the figures 2,500 on the scale, and in thusturning it I also, through gear-wheels U4 and U, turn arbor U', whichtends to screw thimble U2 outward, the arbor being prevented from movinglongitudinally by the engagement of fiange f of the end wallof cylinder.

-f 'l with the annular groove it in the arbor.

This outward movement of the thimble, and consequently of disk U3,compresses springW between the disk and pistonT to an extent sufficientto require a pressure on the piston of two thousand Iive hundred poundsto the square inch to overcome the tension of thel spring. This beingdone, the operationof the valve in other respects is the same as thatabove described.

Having thus fully described the const-ruction and operation. of myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 1. Thecombination, with the series of revoluble barrels, the breech-piecehaving a duct in registerwith one of said barrels when the in registerwith the lower barrel when the latter is in position fordischarge, andmechanism for revolving the barrels, of an airreservoir, an automaticair-pressure regulator, a pipe provided with a shut-off cock, connectingthe reservoir and regulator, and a pipe leading from the regulator intoand out of the reservoir and connecting with the duct in thebreech-piece, whereby the lower barrel is discharged when the air exertsa predetermined degree of pressure in the regulator.

3. In a revolving air-gun constructed substantially as described, thecombination, with the worm-wheel shaft, the reservoir, the automaticair-pressure regulator, and the' pipe connecting the reservoir andregulator, of a shuto cock in said pipe, and an eccentric-rod journaledon the worm-wheel shaft and connected to said cock, whereby air isadmitted to the regulator from the reservoir in proper relation to theloading and revolving operations.

4. The combination, with the breech-piece provided with a guideway inits upper portion, and a loading-piston in saidy guideway, of a linkpivoted to the lower portion of the breech-piece and provided with an'arm which engages with the loading-piston, a cam within the link, andmechanism for revolving the cam to rock the link, whereby theloadingpiston is reci-procated in the guideway, for the purpose setforth.

' 5. The combination, with the breech-piece provided with apartially-open guideway in its upper portion, a magazine above the openpart of the guideway, and a loading-piston in said guideway, of a ,linkpivoted'to the lower portion of the breech-pieeeand provided with an IOOarm which engages with the loading-piston, a

gagement with the loadingpiston, al shortI shaft journaled in thebreech-piece and carrying a gear-wheel in meshwit-li the one on theworm-wheel shaft, and a cam within the link secured on said shortsl1aft,substantially as described, and for the purposes stated.

, In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

y JAMES WEIR GRAYDON.

Witnesses: y

G. W. BALLOCH, C. F. ROBERTS. p

IIO

